Early in my career I did a lot of work with other design firms and advertising agencies. In fact, at one point a single agency represented about 80% of my business. Over time, my feelings about working with agencies changed. As I responded to the AskFreelancers query:

I quit working with agencies (other than the one that was owned by my sister) about 20 years ago. I prefer direct contact with clients and many agencies will not allow you to have that with their clients. Often, they don’t want the agency client to know the work is being outsourced to an independent designer. Additionally:

1.) Many agencies will not outsource work until it is already late in the project schedule and expect the independent source to make up for lost time;

3.) I’m not willing to work under their “we’ll pay you when they pay us” terms - which can bump a payment out 60-90 days or more;

4.) Agencies will very often not let a designer make use of completed projects for their own marketing/promotion purposes;

5.) There is MUCH more creative freedom in working directly with a client.

As my sister closed her agency several years ago, it's not been some time since I worked with such a company. I still prefer working directly with a wide variety of clients. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of working with an agency in the future. However, it would need to be an ideal collaborative situation.

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Engineer of Creative Identity

Jeff Fisher, author of "Identity Crisis!" (HOW Books, 2007), is the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. He has been honored with over 600 regional, national and international design awards and is featured in over 140 books about logos, the design business, and small business marketing. His first book, "The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success" was released in 2004 and has been reissued as a PDF on CD from MyDesignShop.com. Other books are currently in the works. Fisher serves on the HOW Magazine Board of Advisors, HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and Art Institute of Portland Professional Advisory Council,. The designer also writes for HOW Magazine, other industry publications, and many webzines and blogs. In addition, Fisher is a nationally-recognized speaker, making numerous presentations each year to design organizations, design schools, universities and business groups. Graphic Design USA magazine named Jeff Fisher one of the design industry “People to Watch” in 2009. Fisher lives in Portland with his partner of 20+ years, Ed Cunningham.